Presentation to MD/PhD Students

Research Program in Psychiatry

Joey W. Trampush, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences

Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences

USC Keck School of Medicine

February 4, 2025

RDoC Cognitive Systems GWAS (R03 MH123787)

Project Goals:

  • Investigate latent molecular genetic architecture of working memory
  • Use existing COGENT consortium data
  • Identify genome-wide allelic variation
  • Focus on causal, not just correlational relationships

Working Memory as RDoC Construct

  • Core RDoC Cognitive Systems Domain
  • Active maintenance of goal-relevant info
  • Resists interference
  • Limited capacity system
  • Highly heritable trait

Project Innovation

  1. Large-scale dataset (COGENT)
  2. Novel analytical methods
  3. Focus on causality
  4. Pathway to treatments
  5. Transdiagnostic implications

Early Development & Brain Function (R01 DK110793)

Research Focus:

  • Impact of early feeding practices
  • Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)
  • Effects on obesity development
  • Brain development trajectories
  • Longitudinal design
  • Multi-modal assessment
  • Developmental outcomes
  • Clinical implications

AHRQ ADHD Review Project (75Q80120D00009)

  • Update to 2018 AHRQ review
  • Focus on diagnosis and treatment
  • Children and adolescents
  • Evidence-based guidelines
  • Treatment recommendations

Integration & Clinical Impact

How these projects work together:

  1. Genetic architecture → Treatment targets
  2. Early development → Prevention strategies
  3. Clinical guidelines → Evidence-based care
  4. Translational potential → Improved outcomes

Future Directions

Research Goals:

  • Expand genetic findings
  • Identify biomarkers
  • Develop interventions
  • Improve diagnostics

Clinical Applications:

  • Personalized medicine
  • Early intervention
  • Treatment optimization
  • Outcome prediction